TEST BOAT SPECIFICATIONS

A lot of new boats will have debuted at this year's Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show by the time this issue hits newsstands. Among the plethora of vessels, Horizon Yachts' first Vision 74 CMY to arrive stateside stands out, due primarily to the sheer amount of integrated gear aboard. The boat is part of Horizon's Green Initiative, and as such contains a number of eco-friendly features. (For more on Horizon's green boats, including the 23 and 46 solar-powered vessels, check out my blog at powerandmotoryacht.com/blogs.) Most notable are the four solar panels mounted on the hardtop of her fully enclosed skylounge (her unadorned sistership is pictured). Combined, they have the potential to provide 720 watts of electricity, enough to keep the 74's nameplates and other exterior lighting glowing throughout the evening. A different kind of solar feature is the vessel's skylight, which allows natural light to illuminate the main saloon.

But Horizon wanted to provide a yacht that not only meshed with the company's green outlook, but also with its obsession for ease of use. That's why this builder delivers the yacht turnkey at $3,500,000 ($3,839,725 delivered to Florida) with all the features you'd expect. Her aforementioned skylounge contains a six-person L-shape settee to port and a dayhead to starboard, so the captain need not stray far from the helm. When you descend the spiral staircase, you'll land in the saloon, which has its own wet bar just inside and to port of the cockpit doors. Since there is no lower helm, the galley forward has a massive, wraparound window, which instead of providing views for the captain, gives them to the chef. And a translucent pass-through lets whoever is cooking stay part of the conversation at the adjacent sixperson dining table.

The Info

Builder: Horizon

Model: Vision 74

Year: 2009

Boat Type: Megayacht (> 80')

LOA: 76'9"

Beam: 20'6"

Draft: 6'0"

Standard Power: 2/1,015-mhp Caterpillar C-18 diesels

Base Price: $3,500,000

Displacement: 121,660lbs.

Fuel Capacity: 1,680

Water Capacity: 360

Below decks, the 74 comes equally well equipped. Her full-beam master stateroom has engraved double-wooden doors. A stateroom to port with a pair of twins and VIP forward with a centerline queen both include en suite heads.

The engine room standards are also leave-the-dock ready. A set of 1,015-mhp Caterpillar C-18s, ZF gears, and four-blade nibral props comprise her propulsion system. As for her electrical features, there's plenty of redundancy-a travel-ready must-including duplicate Glendinning Cablemasters with 75 feet of cordage, two 50-amp Charles iso-transformers, and both a 17-kW and a 27.5-kW Onan genset.

But if nearly 77 feet seems like too much boat, Horizon has simultaneously introduced a 69-footer with an almost identical layout and selection of standard features. Whether you're enticed by greener gear or just want a yacht that arrives fully loaded, either is a solid option.

This article originally appeared in the November 2009 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.